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Jetpacks were usually worn on the back, and controlled by a wrist-mounted device or through verbal commands issued into a visor or helmet. To launch, a jetpack funneled both air and fuel through miniaturized turbines. In the device's intake system, the air-fuel mix was ignited, providing the thrust needed to propel the wearer through the air. They were not reliable for use in zero, low or high atmospheric situations, since they required atmospheric gases to produce thrust[1]. The launch of most jetpacks was also accompanied by a cloud of exhaust - useful for quick getaways requiring a handy smoke screen.

In flight, directional exhaust nozzles controlled the user's flight path, while a gyrostabilizer counterbalanced the jetpack's velocity for descent. Jetpacks were considered impractical for public use: downsides to the jetpack's agility included the device's thirty-kilo weight, and the fact that most models could carry enough fuel for around twenty bursts of thrust. Often, repulsor packs provided a more viable alternative.

A variant used by both clone commandos and the 2nd Airborne Company during the Clone Wars also had attached wings, which used hydraulics to swing them from a folded to an extended position. A ship would do an atmospheric fly-by of the insertion area, and the commandos would drop unpowered like a normal parasail jump for a count of 3 seconds, before powering the jets on. The jets would automatically power off on impact with the ground, allowing the soldiers to hit the ground running.[2]

Another popular model of jetpack was the Mitrinomon TransportsZ-6 jetpack, used by both Jango and Boba Fett. Boba's jet pack was a combination of a rocket launcher, and a jumper pack. The latter found that his jetpack was not always reliable when it was damaged by a semi-blind Han Solo on Tatooine during the Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon. The misfiring jetpack sent Fett spiraling into the belly of the Sarlacc, but it helped him escape the Sarlacc soon after. The Z-6 was fitted with a top-mounted missile launcher.